Anthem of the Seas, June 2-11, 2016

[Happy Cruiser Woman]

Room service menu book:

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/roomservice.pdf

 

Teen planner for June 1-6:

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/teenplanner.pdf

 

Roy

 

thanks for posting the teen compass!

we were wondering what there was for our son to do.

we sail on June 25th, very excited!

[islesgrrl]

thanks for posting the teen compass!

 

we were wondering what there was for our son to do.

 

we sail on June 25th, very excited!

 

 

June 25 for us too! Woot!! :)

[marci22]

When I checked in on line, I had to upload a security photo. I tried it with a scan of my passport photo. The system accepted it but it was not accepted at checkin and a new photo was taken.

 

Do you mean you scanned the photo that was on your passport (with the wavy lines on it)? Or a separate passport photo?

[rafinmd]

Do you mean you scanned the photo that was on your passport (with the wavy lines on it)? Or a separate passport photo?

 

The actual passport title page and then cropped to the photo. I guess I won't try that again.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

St. Maarten and San Juan are pretty close together and pretty far from Bermuda and Labadee which makes a bit of a strange port schedule, leaving San Juan just barely 24 hours after arriving in St. Maarten. The day was mostly cloudy with patches of both sunshine and rain and pretty hot and humid. Sunrise was a little before 6 and rose directly behind us, coming up through some clouds on the horizon. About 20 minutes after seeing the sun we were passing El Morro, at the entrance to the San Juan harbor with the sun pretty much above the fortress.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/dawn0607.jpg

 

The only ship in port today we docked about 6:45. I was surprised that CPB did not require a full face to face immigration check. Apparently some foreign nationals had to meet with them in the Grande, and a few had to be paged individually. We were cleared to leave the ship about 7:30 and I went ashore somewhat after 8.

 

I think this is my 3rd visit to San Juan, embarking the Celebrity Summit here in 2012 and visiting on the Enchantment in 2011 and 2013. I did not book a tour but sort of did my own walking tour meandering through town (it’s a bit less straightforward than I remembered) to the El Morro fortress. Along the way I followed the wide Princesa Promenade and passed through the San Juan Gate. My timing worked out just right, I was the first customer when it opened at 9.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/princesa.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/sanjuangate.jpg

 

El Morrow stands over the entrance to San Juan harbor with sweeping views. A more recent addition is a light house which is still in use; a Coast Guard crew was there today updating it with a new LED light system. Below El Morrow stands a large cemetery.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/morroview.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/morrolight.jpg

 

After looking around El Morro a bit I walked along the back shore to the other major post, San Cristobal with commanding views of San Juan. I was on the upper level of San Cristobal when a light rain started and made my way gingerly down the steep ramps which were starting to get slippery. I browsed some stores in Old San Juan on the way back to the ship which may have been a mistake as I got caught in a rather hard rain. I returned to the ship about 11.

 

All aboard was at 12:30 and I went up to deck 14 above the bridge wing for spillway with San Cristobal standing out in front of us. We backed away from the pier about 1:10 and headed back out past El Morro. As we got to sea the rain started up again and I went inside for lunch.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/cristobal.jpg

 

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/elmorro.jpg

 

There was a future cruise presentation at 2 and I found it a waste. All the lady talked about was the suites on Oasis and Quantum class ships. Not one word about itineraries and RCI’s other 6 classes of ships might as well not have existed. Later I did a test booking for a couple of January Caribbean cruise options and for me the cheapest Allure suite would be about double the price of the same itinerary on Crystal. No thanks.

 

Dinner tonight was in Silk. The hibachi steak was small but tender and the Peach Green Tea Cake interesting.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/teacake.jpg

 

I followed up on 2 evening entertainment choices. Spectrum in Two70 left me a bit cold but the headliner in the Royal Theater was ventriloquist Ronn Lucas. I can’t specifically remember seeing him before but his use of a live volunteer dummy in his act was something I remember seeing before so I expect we have crossed paths before. He was very good.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/lucas.jpg

 

As a parting shot, I have seen on Cruise Critic that my favorite RCI ship left Bermuda 2 hours early to avoid Tropical Storm Colin. Wishing those on the Grandeur an uneventful return to Charm City.

 

Roy

[joromay]

Thank you. I've posted the first 3 Compasses to my blog. Here's a link to the appropriate page:

 

https://solocabinchallenge.wordpress.com/programs/anthemcompasses/

 

Would you like me to try to track down a teen compass?

 

By the way, I've attached a picture of my "office". The long thin black thing on the corner of the bureau is my scanner.

 

Roy

 

Sounds like you are having a great time! We are on the Anthem on July 28 and can't wait! Is there a separate compass for the kids (ages 8-11)? If you could snag a copy of one, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and keep having fun!

Edited June 8, 2016 by joromay

[rafinmd]

I was down at Park Café early for coffee and up on the jogging track about 6, walking 5 laps (roughly 1.7 miles). This was probably about the day of latest sunrise since Bermuda and the westernmost point of the cruise. The sun came up behind us through clouds on the horizon about 6:30. When I finished my walk land was visible ahead of us.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/dawn0608.jpg

 

This was my 4th visit to Labadee, after the Enchantment in 2011 and 2013 and the Grandeur in 2015. It was my first visit in June, and I much prefer it in January and March. I’m not really much of a beach person but that turned out not to be much of an issue today.

 

I have a class with the fire department soon after returning, and today became the day to handle the assigned reading. Adrenaline beach is at the far end of the resort and probably one of the less crowded ones. I arrived about 10 and started with a short dip in the ocean, then settled into a lounger to read, first covered by my beach towel and later taking refuge under some trees.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/adrenaline.jpg

 

I finished my reading a little before noon and took a brief shower to get rid of excess salt and sand, and headed to lunch. There are 3 pavilions around the property, and the crew prepares and serves a barbecue lunch. I made a lunch out of some grilled chicken and corn, along with some pineapple and a cookie for later, and settled into a picnic table.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/lunch1.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/lunch2.jpg

 

After lunch I headed back in the direction of the ship making a brief stop at the lookout, a little spit of land extending out near the end of the dock. It was not a day for me to take very good care of my things, first dropping a shoe between my reading and the shower (it was about 10 feet from my reading spot), and then resting at the lookout and leaving without my beach towel (when I realized it was missing I turned around to get it and was met halfway by a helpful security guy)/

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/lookout.jpg

 

I was back on the ship about 1:30, happy to be out of the 90-degree heat and sun, but also a bit drowsy. All aboard was 3:30 and I went down to deck 5 by the forward stairs for sailaway. The gangway came in about 3:45 and we started to move about 3:55. We backed slowly until my position was about even with the end of the mooring catwalk, then started to move forward. Captain Erik indicated weather should be mostly good for our return with possible showers tomorrow afternoon. We need to sail pretty much full speed to be in Bayonne on time.

 

Dinner this evening was in the American Icon Grill. I enjoyed the rack of lamb and especially the cherries jubilee. Service was quite quick and I had an hour before I had to be at “The Gift”. Still a bit drowsy I nodded off, just waking up in time to get to the show at the last minute. I was still a bit drowsy during the show.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/jubilee.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/thegift.jpg

 

It cooled off pretty well after going to sea and it is pleasant finishing up this post in the veranda with just a little sliver of moon showing between the lifeboat mount and my balcony wall.

 

Roy

[Project-College]

Sounds like you are having a great time! We are on the Anthem on July 28 and can't wait! Is there a separate compass for the kids (ages 8-11)? If you could snag a copy of one, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and keep having fun!

 

We are on the 7/28 too! Have you signed up for the Roll Call 'Meet & Mingle' yet? (see RCL Roll Calls Forum)

[rafinmd]

Sounds like you are having a great time! We are on the Anthem on July 28 and can't wait! Is there a separate compass for the kids (ages 8-11)? If you could snag a copy of one, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and keep having fun!

 

Kids are handled a bit differently from teens. There's a new Kids planner each day, half a page for each of the 3 age groups and half a page for general information on hours and family activities. I was too late go get one for a "regular" port day but here's the one for Labadee:

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/labadeekids.pdf

 

and for a sea day:

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/kidseaday.pdf

 

There appeared to be a dedicated Adventure Ocean area on Labadee, so I'm a bit surprised that all of yesterday's featured activities seemed to be on the ship. I just uploaded the sea day issue and sometimes it takes a while for a wordpress link to work right. If it doesn't appear within an hour let me know and I'll do some troubleshooting,

 

Can I guess you have an 8-year old and an 11-year old? If so, it looks like they may have different programs.

Roy

[shonandsuzie]

Kids are handled a bit differently from teens. There's a new Kids planner each day, half a page for each of the 3 age groups and half a page for general information on hours and family activities. .

Roy

Thanks for this Roy! I printed it for my 8 year old, too. We are on the Anthem in January so this gives him something tangible to study between now and then!

[Project-College]

Roy,

 

Thanks for all the posts and Journal.

 

I’m a very detailed Project Manager, by trade, and have a habit of ‘over-planning’ sometimes. Reading your current, and some of your previous, Journals have convinced me to ‘go with the flow’ a bit more and enjoy the day rather than the schedule!

 

Keep it going as there are others out there that can be converted like me!

 

PS: If anyone tells my wife I wrote this I will claim I was hacked!

[rafinmd]

Roy,

 

Thanks for all the posts and Journal.

 

I’m a very detailed Project Manager, by trade, and have a habit of ‘over-planning’ sometimes. Reading your current, and some of your previous, Journals have convinced me to ‘go with the flow’ a bit more and enjoy the day rather than the schedule!

 

Keep it going as there are others out there that can be converted like me!

 

PS: If anyone tells my wife I wrote this I will claim I was hacked!

 

Thanks and LOL (Especially the PS)

 

Now that these 3 cruises are nearly over I am ready for some comparisons. These are my opinions reflecting my biases. First of all, my general philosophy is “any room on the best ship I can afford” so my opinions will be far different from many others’ preferences. The Breakaway was my first modern cruise on NCL while I have recently attained Diamond on RCI and 4-star on HAL, not absolutely top rewards program levels but quite substantial. I started modern cruising with HAL mainly because of the Prinsendam and in general it’s one of my favorite cruise lines while I started with Royal mainly because it has the best itineraries out of Baltimore. I would probably not have tried NCL except for curiosity about the studio cabins. I do have definite preferences but do not consider myself a cheerleader for any cruise line except possibly Crystal. And I must admit, some of our preferences may not stand up to cold hard logic. I see it in others like a table mate on the Breakaway who said something like “I’m glad I tried Cunard once, but would not go back because of the dress code and the dinners are too long.” This was said with a straight face by a lady in a very nice evening gown near the end of a dinner that I excused myself from after about 2 hours and 20 minutes. I’m sure I have my own illogical biases but of course I don’t see them.

 

Embarkation:

I’ll give that to HAL with one proviso. They seem to have a tendency to skimp on checkin personnel and I’ve seen long checkin lines. Not usually (and not in Boston for the Veendam) but probably about 25% of the time. On my Maasdam cruise I stood in line 55 minutes waiting for someone to take my ticket. The only staff presence in that time was the equivalent of Japanese subway “crammers” cajoling everybody to crowd together and keep the line from stretching down the stairs. As a 4-star mariner I now have priority embarkation and no longer need to experience that but I claim to follow a religious leader who said “As you’ve treated the least of my brethren you’ve treated me. Come on, HAL, you can do better.

Once actually on board HAL really shines. I boarded about the same time as the other 2 ships but went directly to my room, stowed my bags, and was soon in the dining room for a civilized lunch.

 

Checkin on the Breakaway started really early. The checkin line was short and I had completed the formalities by 10:30, but actual boarding didn’t begin until 11:30. The wait in the lounge was fairly comfortable; I was just glad I had my suduku book with me. After the suites boarding was in groups by order of arrival, I boarded a little before noon. Rooms were available to drop off bags at noon, but not ready for occupancy until later. Lunch was in the lido and not great but fairly civilized.

 

Checkin for the Anthem started later but was quick and I was on board soon after the formalities. Rooms, however are completely off limits until 1PM. Despite announcements for people in the WJ (lido) to leave, people were occupying tables with mounds of luggage waiting for 1PM. That’s fairly standard on RCI, but what was new was there were staff at the entrance to the WJ holding up long lines of people from going in until tables were vacated. I managed to get food only by promising to get it and take it elsewhere to eat, then putting my plate on my lap on a pool lounger. My verdict best Veendam, then Breakaway, and finally Anthem.

 

Roy

Edited June 9, 2016 by rafinmd

[rafinmd]

Dining is very subjective, both in cuisine and style. I do like fixed dining at a large table and the Veendam delivered what I like. On the Veendam I was at a table for 8 with 3 couples and one other solo and most were present the majority of the time. We developed a rapport with our waiter and had great dinners. Most of my breakfasts and lunches (as on all 3 ships) were in the lido with a good selection and I enjoyed eating either at tables by the pool or the aft deck.

 

I am not really a fan of Freestyle Dining. Even where I’ve had anytime dining I’ve usually been offered the choice of my own table or dining with others. That does not seem to be part of the NCL culture. I think that would be a real drag for me on most NCL ships, but being in a studio made a difference. Each evening there was a happy hour in the studio lounge, sometimes there was a full group dinner, and on occasion there wasn’t but a few people would get together and go somewhere. There are 3 complementary restaurants, all with the same menu, but one operates as a “supper” club and I found the shows distracting and they impeded conversation. I think over the week I dined 2 or 3 times on my own, once with a couple of others arranged at the last minute and 3 or 4 full group dinners. For the studio, I should probably rate the experience as different although equal to HAL; I just didn’t associate that as the typical NCL standard.

 

On the Grandeur of the Seas I had found the dining to be very nice, just a shade below what I experienced on the Veendam. I thought the idea of Dynamic Classic Dining was a good one so I was very disappointed in what was actually offered. As noted earlier in the blog I had a confirmation of early classic dining with an empty set of actual reservations. After chasing around embarkation day I got a 4 day supply of reservations, but only for one meal at a time. Those for whom Royal actually followed through on Classic sailed into their assigned tables while I stood in line waiting to be assigned a new table and a new waiters. At the end of the 4 days I had no reservations and the system told me I could not make reservations because I already had them. After 30 minutes with Guest Services and another visit to the dining room I finally had reservations but nobody on board showed any concern that I was not given what I was supposed to have. Anthem also had the only really bad food of the trio, a slice of French toast from the Solarium Bistro only slightly softer than a rock.

 

Bottom line HAL #1, Breakaway 2nd, and Anthem a distant last.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I had an Ocean View room on the Veendam, and it was very much what I expected. It was pleasant and to me having a full bath tub was a bonus, especially when I developed a sore toe walking in the rain in Boston and soaking the foot was a real help. There was ample work space at the desk, although the power was a bit of a challenge. There were 2 outlets (1 US and 1 Euro) but they were so close together I not use both the Euro outlet and my 3-way tap. I managed to get one other outlet from the TV power but I was generally feeling a bit short of outlets. The room was well serviced and there was fresh fruit every day. There was not a fridge but ice was provided twice a day.

 

My studio on the Breakaway was a unique experience. The room was tiny, and storage space was barely adequate. There was just an awkward and very small space for a single computer, there were a lot of outlets but no place to put anything to connect to them. The bath setup was a bit strange with commode, shower, and sink in separate spaces. It would have bothered me if I was sharing the room with a roommate, but worked fine for just me. Ice was provided twice a day. Power was available only when a card was in a slot by the door, when the card was removed EVERYTHING shut off immediately, no grace period to close the door before the lights went out.

 

I had booked a studio room on the Anthem but was upgraded to a regular balcony cabin. I did get a quick peek into a studio while it was being cleaned and it was a lot bigger than on the Breakaway, almost as big as a regular cabin. My cabin has a mini-fridge; it’s nearly packed with stuff for sale and I get very limited space there but it has been working. There is ample desk space, storage space, and power outlets, the only thing I would have preferred would be a tub rather than a shower. There’s a key slot for power but the electric outlets stay on and when the card is removed the lights stay on for several seconds allowing an orderly exit from the room. I found that on the Breakaway I often put a random card in the slot while out of the room but the less drastic cutoff on the Anthem kept me more honest about only using the card slot while in the room.

 

My bottom line on rooms is Anthem #1, then Veendam, and finally Breakaway.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

We crossed the Tropic of Cancer somewhere early in the morning, possibly about 2-3AM. When I checked my GPS while going to Café Promenade for coffee just after 5 we were about the latitude of Key West.

 

This was the first morning conditions were really conducive to walking, and I walked 5 miles (14.5 laps) on the jogging track, with the sun appearing through the clouds around lap 3. At the end of the walk I headed down to the WJ for an omelet.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/dawn0609.jpg

 

Later in the morning I went up to the library to pick up the daily suduku.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/library.jpg

 

Today’s schedule had relatively little of interest for me. I did have 11:30 reservations for the Northstar (the gondola like contraption that rises high above the ship) but it was out of service when I went up. On sea days the Compass lists a “Solo Travelers Lunch” meeting at the Bionic Bar. There were 2 people there who appeared to know each other; they did not suggest I join them for lunch and I did not press the issue. In his noon update Captain Erik reported we were about 1/3 of the way back to Bayonne. He expects calm conditions for the rest of the trip. When we left Bayonne he indicated we needed to sail 21 knots to be on time, today it was 20 knots so we’re making very good time.

 

Much of my afternoon was spent writing. When I went up to the WJ for lunch it was raining and no luck today dining on the back deck. A pool volleyball game continued despite the rain, probably not a very fun activity for Dru refereeing.

 

I goofed at dinner. I had reserved and dressed for the Grande for this evening, but walked up the wrong side of the hallway leading to Chic and Grande. Nobody said anything and I was soon seated in Chic, not realizing the mistake until I had ordered. I have posted the Grande Menu from the TV but without desert.

 

The evening show was a repeat of The Gift. There was also a 7PM comedy show by Al Ducharme in Two70. He was pretty good.

 

Today’s parting shot was something I’d heard rumors about but not confirmed. I have reviewed the Cruise Compass for the last day and was disappointed to find that there will be no Walk for Wishes. I understand that programs have a limited life span but was really sorry to see this one go. It was both a worthy cause and something that had a real program and participation value. I’m just glad I had a chance to be a part of many of them in the 5 years I’ve been cruising with Royal Caribbean and hope the new partnership with World Wildlife Fund will blossom into a program that future cruisers will have a real role in.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

When I went up to deck 15 a little before 6, the wind was quite strong., and I held my initial walk to 5 ½ laps. There was a beautiful red sky before sunrise, and the sun coming up itself was quite pleasant.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/dawn610a.jpg

 

When I went back up to the WJ for breakfast, the wind was much reduced and I walked the remaining 9 laps for my total of 5 miles. As the end of my walk approached, engineering staff was working on the Northstar, then testing it, and I saw at least one run with passengers onboard.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/northstarup.jpg

 

It wasn’t a very busy day for me program wise, but CD Dru and AM Chris held a session on “Life at sea” in Two70 at 11:45. They started talking a bit about their backgrounds, answered questions, and Dru concluded with a list of the 10 strangest questions he’s been asked.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/lifeatsea.jpg

 

I hadn’t heard anything Thursday night but apparently a couple of performances were cancelled. They were rescheduled for 5PM today. Most of my afternoon was spent packing, but also with another visit to guest services as I had requested an 8:15 departure and was assigned 9:45. The person ahead of me in line requested 10:15, and was given 8:00. Go figure.

 

By dinner time I had finished packing except for a few last minute items. Dinner tonight was at American Icon Grill. My entree was the generic chicken breast with a couple of nice bookends. The fruit medleys have always been interesting, although not quite as good as the chilled soups served on HAL, Cunard, and the Grandeur. The finale was Key Lime Pie, one of my favorites.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/medley.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/keylime.jpg

 

There was a farewell comedy show in the theater featuring Rondell Sheridan, perhaps the best comedian of the voyage. The show ended just before 8, and a little after 8 came the final sunset in front of my verandah. I am finishing this post about 9 and hope to be in bed early to be rested for my drive home.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/sheridan.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/lastdusk.jpg

 

As a parting shot I’ll use one of Dru’s favorite questions. One day someone said/asked “I’m in the wrong elevator. Where’s the ‘Tuesday” elevator?”

 

Roy

[mamagina]

This was a GREAT review! I really enjoyed reading it! Getting on the Anthem today as you get off. Cant wait to see what happens to our dining reservation experience. I made reservations for each night online ahead of time. They appear on our calendar but our cruise planner say that we have classic dining and 38 reservations for our 5 night cruise! Can't wait to see where we wind up sitting! :)

[rafinmd]

Enjoy the Anthem and Bermuda. BTW disembarking was a breeze.

 

Roy

[erby2283]

Thank you for posting during your trip. Enjoyed your review and pictures.

[Project-College]

Enjoy the Anthem and Bermuda. BTW disembarking was a breeze.

 

Roy

 

Is 'Carry off' or scheduled the better disembarking option (we're on the 7/28 cruise)?

[rafinmd]

Is 'Carry off' or scheduled the better disembarking option (we're on the 7/28 cruise)?

 

I'll have more details on my experience (scheduled) later but it worked well. I can't speak for carryoff at all.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I was up actually a little before 5, found the Café Promenade closed. It looked like we were very close to the terminal and I headed up to deck 15 and found we still had about 15 miles to go. As I reached the top deck what had been a lovely pre-dawn turned into a nice sunrise. I walked 4 ½ laps on the jogging track (1 ½ miles) and at the end we were ready to pass under the Verrazano Bridge. It looks like midship is really the best place to get a good view of our bridge passage. Heading down to Café Promenade, there was quite a line of people waiting for coffee. Once I had mine, it was up to deck 5 to view our final arrival.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/dawn0611.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/verrazzano3.jpg

 

As we backed into the terminal two US Navy cargo shops, the Shughart (docked) and Yano (drydock) were at the adjacent repair yard and drydock. I got a final picture of the Tear and headed up to my room.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/shughart.jpg

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/backtotear.jpg

 

A large freighter, OOCL Washington was at the dock opposite us and rumbled past with tug assistance a few minutes later.

 

After getting my assignment changed at Guest Relations Friday, I was scheduled to leave the ship at 8:15. I did some computer work and final packing of my overnight stuff and then headed down to the Diamond Lounge about 8. Within a couple minutes the Concierge came around and said all the groups up to mine were cleared to go ashore. There were probably about 100 people in line waiting for the gangway but the line moved quickly. The bags in the terminal were in many small groups and it was easy to find my bags among the 12's. There were many customs agents and I was second in line with one of them, quickly processed, and the agent accepted my NEXUS card without issue (it is supposed to be a WHTI compliant ID, but some agents still have rejected it).

 

It was a short walk to the parking garage. I stowed my bags in my truck, returned to the terminal for a final toilet stop, and was driving out of the garage at 8:35. Not bad for an 8:15 tag schedule.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/homeward.jpg

 

Unlike my trip to Bayonne, I returned home on I78 and I83. I was in Pennsylvania about 10, Maryland about 12:30, and after lunch home at 1:45. I think this route is a bit longer but seemed a lot more stress free.

 

I have no idea how the self carry worked but if you’re a bit pro-active about your departure time regular disembarkation can be a breeze. I do think I was among the first out of the terminal with regular debarkation, so a need to be away before 8:30 would call for self assist.

 

Soon after arriving I headed out to the supermarket, UPS store to retrieve mail and my fire department office. When I checked my email, the RCI survey link was there so I’ve done my evaluation.

 

My first and probably only Quantum Class voyage is now history. I am home from my errands in time to watch the NY webcam sailaway; the Anthem seems to have started and held up; I wonder what’s going on.

 

As a parting shot, 2 of my recent ships are heading back to Bermuda. Bon Voyage to all those on the Anthem and the Veendam.

 

I’m home for about 6 weeks before the Northwest Passage, to be followed by a Cunard/Seabourn transatlantic, and my next RCI cruise is on the Grandeur in January.

 

Roy

[Riff Sniff]

I was up at 5 but worked in my room until about 6 when I went up to deck 14 for the sunrise. It was not much but did show through a couple of cracks in the clouds. I walked one lap on the jogging track but then got caught in rain (or perhaps spray from crew washing something) and walked for a while on the ships inside corridors. I was also a bit surprised to learn there is no coffee on deck 14 until 7AM, for that I must go down to deck 4.

 

https://solocabinchallenge.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/dawn0603.jpg

 

The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle was held at 9:30 in the Music Hall. Activities Manager Chris Hopkins hosted it initially, later joined by Cruise Director Dru Pavlov. There were probably 70 people present, apparently a relatively small group for the Anthem. I won a bottle of Champagne in the raffle.

 

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After the Meet and Mingle about 20 of us spent the next hour in a Cabin Crawl (see separate post)

 

I am not really a fan of the long musical productions but that seems to be the trend on mega ships. One way the Anthem has stood out over the Breakaway has been in the accessibility of the shows. On the Breakaway once on board I really only had one opportunity to see a show, I’ve already had better luck on the Anthem. Today’s show was “We Will Rock You”. I hadn’t made any advance reservations but saw today’s schedule and thought the matinee would fit me better than a late evening show. I made my decision about 11:30 and had no trouble booking the 2:30 show. I had a choice of several time slots on several days. I may or may not see any more shows on the Anthem but the choice I had exceeds anything available on the Breakaway.

 

Some patterns repeat themselves. On the Breakaway I had Pizza on boarding day and said I wouldn’t repeat the next day but changed my mind when I saw Hawaiian Pizza the first sea day. Exactly the same scenario here.

 

We Will Rock You is not exactly my cup of tea but was better than I expected. There were quite a few empty seats. I had come pretty much prepared for a deafening sound track but the volume was just a bit on the high side of reasonable. The performance was about an hour and 50 minutes with no intermission, letting out about 4:20.

 

Dinner tonight was 5:30 in the Chic restaurant. I enjoyed the Fruit Medley, Chicken Parmigiana, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Service was very quick and I was able to visit the Schooner Par for a little bit of Sasha at the Piano before his session ended at 6:30.

 

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I think I am finally about caught up on my writing. As a parting shot, I’ve had a couple of requests for a comparison of my ships. I think I’ll hold off on that until at least later in the cruise, but both the Breakaway and Anthem have some good points and some things I don’t really like. I need a bit of time for reflection on 2 quite different experiences.

 

Roy

Thanks for organizing the cabin crawl! We had a great time, and couldn't have done it without you! As we (sadly) now sit at home, I'm enjoying re-living the cruise through your review!!

 

 

Sherri & Mike (from the Spa Junior Suite)

[rafinmd]

Thanks, Sherri and Mike. All I did was put together a list. The Cabin Crawl could not have happened without you and the other hosts volunteering their cabins, especially Sweetpea73 getting their neighbors to chip in their loft suite.

 

This is probably the one where I will get the most disagreement.

 

Until recently, I thought the entertainment on HAL’s R and S class ships was pretty limited. They are now using a new entertainment company and I think the quality of the shows and especially the dancers has improved. Entertainment is of course subjective and the Veendam had fewer choices than the other ships but I thought the quality of the shows in the Showroom and the guy in the piano bar were very good. I also appreciated the fact that you could just walk into any of the entertainment and never had to worry about reservations.

 

The Breakaway has some very nice shows but almost all of them require reservations and they all seem to get sold out very quickly. I was able to get into only 1 production show, Burn the Floor. It was nice but I thought overly long. Most of the other shows including the comedy club required reservations and by the time I tried to book stuff about day 2 there was nothing available.

 

That was largely true on the Anthem as well, but there was more flexibility than on the Breakaway. The 2 main production shows as well as some of the shows in Two70 required reservations but they seemed easier to come by. There were also a couple of headline entertainers who briefly joined the ship; I thought the comedian was very good, the singer not so much to my taste.

 

One thing all 3 ships had was some form of piano bar. I thought Jeff on the Veendam was excellent, I did not really watch Matt on the Anthem much, partially because he had the Schooner Bar packed and jumping and I didn’t find a seat. I stopped by the Piano Bar on the Breakaway several times when the guy was scheduled to be playing but all I ever saw was an empty piano.

 

My bottom line on entertainment: (1) Veendam, (2) Anthem, (3) Breakaway

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I find it hard to do true comparisons of internet but I’ll give you my impressions. My strategy was a bit different on the 3 ships. On both the Veendam and Breakaway I had extended visits to Bermuda. In both cases I purchased 72-hour wifi passes in Bermuda and used the ship’s internet mostly while at sea. On the Veendam internet is sold by the minute, and it was fairly pricey. The speed was low but not the lowest I’ve seen, and performance was slowish but stable. I was able to complete my blog entries and personal email and business with about ½ hour usage per day.

 

On the Breakaway my internet came as part of a promotion. They are different from most cruise lines that internet is priced by megabyte rather than by minute. I had to choose from several optional “perks” of booking and came as 300mb of data. I had no idea on embarkation of what 300mb really meant in terms of what I could do. It lasted for my entire cruise and I had quite a few megabytes left over when I disembarked. The wifi packages in Bermuda were pretty much dirt cheap, $15 for 72 hours which easily covered my 3 port days on the Breakaway and were a perfect fit for my 72-hour visit over 4 days on the Veendam. I was able to access the internet from the lifeboat deck on both ships (better on the Veendam in Hamilton) but did most of my work then off the ship. After returning home I analyzed my usage and found I averaged about 1.2mb per minute, giving the equivalent of about 250 minutes, which would have been enough for 7 days without the wifi card. I thought the wifi performance was roughly the same as on the Veendam.

 

The best ship’s internet was on the Anthem. They had a pre-embarkation sale which was about $9 per day for the cheapest plan. That plan was fast enough that I was able to watch several webcam sailaways from the ship and download updates for my Ipads. The only slight negative was that it used a code delivered to my stateroom, so I would have liked to but was unable to use the internet until the rooms were opened up at 1PM. I’m not sure how well the technology RCI is using would work with HAL’s worldwide itineraries.

 

My bottom line (1) Anthem, (2) Breakaway (since it was free), and (3) Veendam.

 

Roy